BEIJING: Beijing said on Monday it has "lodged representations" and urged Washington to "correct its erroneous ways" after the US launched new trade probes last week, with negotiators from both countries meeting in Paris.

Washington's trade investigations target 60 economies, including China and will look into "failures to take action on forced labor" and whether these burden or restrict US commerce.

Those investigations came a day after a separate set of US probes centered on excess industrial capacity that target 16 trading partners, including China, which Beijing's foreign ministry criticized as "political manipulation".

‘Erroneous ways’

"We urge the US side to immediately correct its erroneous ways, meet China halfway... and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations," Beijing's commerce ministry said in a statement.

The latest round of investigations "is extremely unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory", it said, accusing Washington of "attempting to construct trade barriers".

Trade officials from both countries met in Paris on Sunday for talks that Washington has said would last for two days.

‘Lodged representations’

China has "lodged representations" with the US over the newest forced labor trade probes, the Chinese commerce ministry said.

Human rights groups and United Nations experts have voiced alarm over allegations of forced labor affecting minority groups in China's western Xinjiang region, which Beijing has dismissed as "fabricated".

The two sets of trade probes will likely take months, but could justify new tariffs after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs in February.

Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates.

Trump told the Financial Times in an interview that the summit could be postponed because of the Middle East war.

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China urges US to 'immediately correct erroneous' trade practices